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Chinese delegates visit Faculty of Science to learn about GI

Chinese delegates and Professor Jennie Brand-Miller in front of The Quadrangle, University of Sydney

A delegation of Chinese endocrinologists visited the Faculty of Science to learn about advances in diabetes treatment, and hear from resident GI specialist, Professor Jennie Brand-Miller.

While diet education for diabetes patients is well-established in Australia, the Chinese are still working towards educating their people about the important role diet plays in the management of diabetes. To learn about strategies for helping patients better manage their diabetes, the visiting Chinese doctors met with Professor Jennie Brand-Miller from the Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney.

Professor Brand-Miller presented a lecture about the glycemic index (GI) and its role in diabetes management. She explained how dietary carbohydrates, the main determinant of postprandial glycemia (post-meal rise in blood glucose), vary in the rate at which they raise glucose levels - some are digested and absorbed more quickly than others, and raise blood glucose levels faster. This rate is expressed as the glycemic index (GI) of a carbohydrate.

Visitors with Professor Jennie Brand-Miller

Professor Brand-Miller said that diets based on more slowly digested and absorbed carbohydrates (ie. low GI carbohydrates) have been shown to improve diabetes management, help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and have implications for weight control.

Zhang Li, a medical advisor from Guangzhou, commented, "GI data is very rare (in China) and many doctors know little about it. Professor Brand-Miller's presentation was great and useful for us. We hope one day she would like to come to China and attend our conference."

The visit was sponsored by the China arm of NovoNordisk, a world leader in diabetes care and maker of insulin for diabetes patients.